The Partner | March 2022
Congratulations on Your Retirement, Donna Jo!
Sheriff John D. Idleburg would like to acknowledge and thank the tireless efforts of Donna Jo Maki for her role as the Safety and Justice Challenge Project Director as she prepares to retire from government service in early April. Donna Jo Maki dedicated her professional career in public service working for Lake County Public Defender’s Office, Attorney General’s Office, County Administration, and the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office for over 20 years. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has worked closely with Ms. Maki as our agency began to pursue funding from the Safety and Justice Challenge. Her leadership, vast experience, and collaboration have enabled the Lake County Criminal Justice System to come together and pursue strategies that safely reduce our jail population while working to address racial and ethnic disparities within the criminal justice system. Donna Jo Maki has been the glue for our work in Lake County and we will miss her leadership and presence moving forward. We are deeply grateful not only for her dedication to serving the public but her contributions to the pursuit of equitable justice for all. Congratulations on your retirement and we wish you the best, Donna Jo!
Join the Discussion
The next Criminal Justice Community Council meeting is coming up Wednesday, March 16th at 6:00PM CST. Click here to register and review our meeting agenda.
Meet the Team - Monique Johnson
Hello everyone! My name is Monique Johnson, and I am the Community Engagement Specialist here with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and CJCC. As the Community Engagement Specialist my role is to inform the community of the efforts and work in progress, engage the community, and provide space for their voices to be heard, providing a seat at the table as we push for equity and positive change. It has been an honor and privilege to connect with people and organizations within the community, learning what they do in the community and feedback on what they would like to see in the future with the CJCC and the Criminal Justice System. I am looking forward to connecting with more people and reaching out as we learn and grow together in this work.
Lake County Partners with Regional Office of Education for Safety Conference
The Lake County Sheriff's Office has partnered with the Regional Office of Education to host a safety conference for local law enforcement and school staffers. National and local speakers came together to discuss ways of keeping our school children safe. Community partnerships such as this are what we continually pursue to enrich the lives of those who call Lake County home!
Youth’s Assistance Needed to Name New Dogs
Sheriff John D. Idleburg is pleased to announce the Lake County Sheriff’s Office will be adding two new canines to the sheriff’s canine unit. The sheriff’s office is in the final process of selecting the newest canines, which will be male German Shepherds between the ages of 18 and 24 months.
Lake County Sheriff’s Canines Boomer, Dax, Duke, Danno, Ryker, and their handlers have a proven track record of success for the Lake County community. They have been responsible for locating hundreds of missing people, fleeing suspects, numerous discarded firearms or other evidence, and hundreds of pounds of illegal drugs.
Sheriff John D. Idleburg is asking for Lake County’s youth to help us name our two newest canine partners. Lake County youth currently in kindergarten through senior year of high school are invited to participate.
Sheriff John D. Idleburg said, “Canines Dax, Danno, and Duke were all named by our community’s youth, and I am excited to again invite our youth to cast their votes to name our two newest canines. As the residents of Lake County know, our canine teams have a proven record of success, and I am incredibly proud of the many lives they have saved. This is precisely why I feel it is important to add two new canines to our canine unit.”
The rules of the naming process are as follows:
Public, private, and homeschooled students are invited to participate
Children must have the permission of their teacher/school and/or parent/guardian
Children must be sponsored by their teacher or parent/guardian
Children must be currently enrolled (or homeschooled) in grades K-12
One entry per student is allowed, per dog (two entries total)
All of the information on the form is required for the vote to be counted
The winning name will be selected by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office
Students who selected the winning name will be invited to participate in the new canine’s swearing-in ceremony
Name submissions are due by 12:00 noon, March 25, 2022
Link for participating in the naming: https://bit.ly/3pva9aD
Jail Programming Resumes
As Covid-19 cases and restrictions begin to lift, we are happy to announce that the Lake County Jail has been able to resume jail programming! Several incarcerated women participated in the Waukegan Township Coalition to Reduce Recidivism’s “Let’s Talk about It – Facing Trauma: Mental Health,” session recently. Many of the participants voiced that they felt they could relate and were able to gather many takeaways which they’ll be able to utilize when released from jail. We are working hard in Lake County to reduce recidivism and provide inmates with resources and tools they can use to be successful, upon their reentry into the community.
You can help inform and engage the community about this work by forwarding this newsletter to three friends and encouraging them to sign up here.
The Safety and Justice Challenge strategies at Lake County, IL are proudly led and supported by:
Lake County Sheriff's Office
Lake County State's Attorney Office
19th Judicial Circuit Court
Lake County Public Defender's Office
Nicasa Behavioral Health Services
This project was created with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation as part of the Safety and Justice Challenge, which seeks to reduce over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails.